NoVA Leaders Urge Governor To Boost Vaccine Supplies For Region

VIRGINIA — Leaders of jurisdictions across Northern Virginia sent Gov. Ralph Northam a letter Friday asking for more COVID-19 vaccines, explaining to the governor that the infrastructure is in place across the region to ramp up the pace of vaccinations.

Some parts of Virginia have moved into phase 1c of vaccinations. Most of the state, including Northern Virginia localities, remain in phase 1b due to lack of vaccine supplies.

"Our region has the capacity to administer more doses of vaccine," the leaders said in the joint letter emailed to Northam. "With additional doses allocated to our health districts immediately, we can put that capacity to work to quickly assist the Commonwealth in achieving its vaccination and equity goals."

Among the leaders who signed the letter were Fairfax County Board Chairman Jeffrey McKay, Prince William County Board Chair Ann Wheeler, Loudoun County Board Chair Phyllis Randall, Arlington County Board Chairman Matthew de Ferranti, Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson and Northern Virginia Regional Commission Chairman P. David Tarter.

Each of the health districts in Northern Virginia have waiting lists for vaccines for people in the 1A and 1B categories that far outstrip the supplies the jurisdictions have received. Fairfax County has a waiting list of 102,000 people, Loudoun County has a waiting list of 99,900, Prince William County has a waiting list of 92,000, Arlington County has a waiting list of 28,000 and Alexandria has a waiting list of 20,000.

Alexandria will be able to scale up to 15,000 doses per week, for example, but is receiving only 5,000 doses a week. Arlington County will be able to rapidly expand to 14,000 doses per week but is receiving a maximum of 8,000 doses per week.

The leaders also emphasized that the jurisdictions have formed partnerships to provide vaccines to communities that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, including lower-income and communities of color. Once the vaccine supplies increase, local health districts will be able to reach out deeper into these communities, they said.

Based on the supply of vaccine doses currently allocated to Northern Virginia, the region could face problems meeting state and federal vaccination goals.

State Vaccine Coordinator Dr. Danny Avula said he expects every Virginian who wants a COVID-19 vaccine will be eligible before the end of April and should be able to get at least their first dose by the end of May. On March 12, Avula also said it is realistic Virginia will fully open up to Phase 1c in mid-April and that some parts of the state could hit that mark even sooner.

As of Monday, 1,133,834 Virginians, or 13.3 percent of the state's population, were fully vaccinated. According to Virginia Department of Health data, 3,123,190 total doses have been administered, with 2,069,176 people, or 24.2 percent of the state's population, receiving at least their first dose.

The state is averaging 49,912 doses administered per day. Local health departments lead the state with 994,897 total doses given, followed by hospitals with 750,539 total doses. Pharmacies have administered a total of 622,448 vaccines. Medical practices are next with 451,422 doses administered followed by community health providers at 303,864.

Phase 1b includes people 65 and older, people 16 to 64 with an underlying condition, certain essential workers, and people living in homeless shelters, correctional facilities and migrant labor camps. VDH expects all of Virginia can be in phase 2 (all Virginians 16 and up) by May 1.

All Virginians, except those in the Fairfax Health District, can preregister for the vaccine at vaccinate.virginia.gov. Fairfax County and cities of Falls Church and Fairfax residents eligible in the current phases 1a or 1b should continue to register through the local health department.

SEE ALSO: How To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine In Virginia

On Monday, 1,063 additional COVID-19 cases were reported by VDH, and the seven-day average of daily cases was 1,443. Northern Virginia accounted for 243 new cases and has a seven-day average of 416 daily cases.

An additional 10 COVID-19 deaths were reported Monday, bringing the death total to 10,127.

The VDH is reporting 5.6-percent positivity rate from the coronavirus tests performed on residents over the past seven days after reaching a 2021 low of 5.4 percent on March 12.

The positive rate is still far below the 2021 high of 17.4 percent reported on Jan. 3 by the VDH. Since the start of the pandemic, the all-time high of the seven-day positivity rate was 20.2 percent on April 20, 2020.

On average, 18,885 daily PCR testing encounters were reported statewide on March 18, down from a peak of 35,034 on Jan. 14.

Virginia's COVID-19 hospitalizations stand at 999 statewide after Virginia reached 977 Saturday, the lowest level since Oct. 20. The current count includes 214 patients in intensive care units and 124 on ventilators.

Ventilator use among all hospital patients is at 28 percent, and ICU occupancy is at 74 percent, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association.

Below are the latest coronavirus data updates for our coverage area from Sunday to Monday:

• Alexandria: 10,771 cases, 525 hospitalizations, 128 deaths; increase of 13 cases
• Arlington County: 13,897 cases, 790 hospitalizations, 243 deaths; increase of 15 cases and one death
• Fairfax County: 69,978 cases, 3,646 hospitalizations, 1,038 deaths; increase of 119 cases, eight hospitalizations and one death
• Fairfax City: 509 cases, 41 hospitalizations, 17 deaths; increase of one hospitalization
• Falls Church: 373 cases, 20 hospitalizations, 10 deaths; no changes
• Loudoun County: 24,603 cases, 924 hospitalizations, 263 deaths; increase of 51 cases
• Manassas: 4,118 cases, 166 hospitalizations, 45 deaths; removal of one case
• Manassas Park: 1,150 cases, 67 hospitalizations, 12 deaths; no changes
• Prince William County: 41,062 cases, 1,495 hospitalizations, 468 deaths; increase of 46 cases and one hospitalization; removal of one death
• Fredericksburg: 1,842 cases, 94 hospitalizations, 22 deaths; increase of four cases
• Spotsylvania County: 8,641 cases, 286 hospitalizations, 107 deaths; increase of 18 cases
• Stafford County: 9,947 cases, 333 hospitalizations, 68 deaths; increase of 19 cases